Distinguished
by finding
Summary: Layla loves both of them equally. But when she was in trouble, the person who came to her rescue could determine her path to evil or good. WarrenLayla/WillLayla/Discontinued
1. Runny

**Distinguished**

**Layla was having a dilemma; she was caught between her one true love and one who truly loved her. But when she got into deep trouble, who would be the one saving her?**

She tried to bury her nose into the book in front of her, but no, her nose wouldn't oblige. A tissue box rested on the table she was studying on, and half of the tissue that once belonged in the paper box were now lying in the wastepaper basket.

Layla sniffed for the thousandth time that day. She rubbed her already tomato-like nose, and pulled out a piece of tissue from the box. She expertly crushed it and aimed for the dustbin… SCORE! She thought silently, and smiled stupidly to herself.

_If only Will knew about this…_

She shook the disrupting thought out of her mind and mindlessly picked up the cordless phone not far away from her desk. She dialed his number… then threw it down almost immediately.

_The famous Will Stronghold won't have time for me… He might be in an interview, or performing at a live show…Or maybe even fighting off villains… Or maybe, just maybe… thinking of me…_

Then, mindlessly, she picked up the phone and dialed a different number. This time, she didn't throw it back down, nor did the phone inform her that "sorry, but the number you have dialed is currently unavailable." Instead, as soon as the phone rang its first ring, the person on the other end picked it up…

"Layla! Pleasant surprise!" Warren Peace's husky voice spread from the other end of the telephone line, and it warmed Layla's body from head to toe, spreading a faint hint of crimson across her cheeks. It was so wonderful to hear her boyfriend's best friend's voice again!

After the eventful night when Will finally accepted her as his girlfriend, Warren and his senior batch soon graduated. Though they still kept in touch quite often, Will was too busy dealing with interviews and late night live shows to be gathering with Warren and gang.

"Yeah, it's me!" Layla tried very hard to sound like she didn't have a blocked and runny nose, but failed terribly. "Can we meet at the Paper Lantern, please, at eight o'clock tonight?"

She heard a faint chuckle. "Is your nose runny, or did your boyfriend got runny?" he laughed at his own droll humor. She couldn't help but laugh, too. "Yeah, as you wish, my green princess… Your wish is my command…"

"Hey," a girl dressed in a green halter-neck dress and high heels walked over graciously, her hair tied up neatly in a bun. "Long time no see… Though that jerk Will could have arranged a meet –sniff- meeting… He's too busy with his inter –sniff- interviews…"

Warren smirked a little at Layla's poor state, offered her some _fire_ in his private room above the Paper Lantern, and sat down on a random sofa.

"And yes, what does my little green princess want to tell me? I don't believe she's calling her darling Will a jerk for real. Calm down, Layla, and have a cup of coffee, if you please." The corner of his lips curved up a little in amusement, watching this girl sniffing her nose spoilt.

"Sut up Warren I'm filling bad enuff alrety…" Her voice sounded very much nasal and Warren felt rather bad about that.

"How about a trip to the seaside? After that we could visit my uncle, who happens to be a doctor. He'll charge you FOC, don't worry."

"I'd rather visit the park," Layla said disdainfully. "I've abandoned my powers for too long, I'm afraid they'd get rusty. I can't do it anywhere, and I've forgotten all about the hidden place of Ground Low…"

Warren laughed out loud. "GROUND LOW! FOR GOD'S SAKE, LAYLA, YOU STILL USE THAT!" In his excitement a fire was ignited from his left fist, though none was aware at first.

"Oh my God, Warren, what happened?" After a full minute Layla finally spotted the rather weak flame spouting from Warren's palm and she quickly forced Warren into the washroom and extinguished it. Right after Warren practically threw Layla down the stairs and beside his convertible.

"I can control that, you know," Warren said, disappointed, waiting for Layla to get into the front passenger seat of the topless car. She laughed heartily as she muttered something like "oops I forgot" and fastened her seatbelt, watching as Warren did the same. For a split second she was completely mesmerized by his every movement, then immediately she shook herself awake from her stupor. _I must be faithful to Will… HE is my one true love… _Somehow the voice stopping her from gluing her lips to Warren's grew softer every second, and before it could finally disappear Warren had started the car. "Here we go, girl, sit tight!"

The park was empty and eerily silent except for the original nocturnal bird chirp and the dimly lit streetlights. Warren and Layla stood at the entrance, each waiting for the other to first do something.

"What?" They found themselves staring into each other's eyes and blinked, speaking in unison. Then both laughed.

"We're being silly," Warren made clear their thoughts and Layla nodded in agreement. "Now do whatever you set out to do, silly girl, and don't stand here staring at me."

"Well actually my first intention was to go to the most romantic place on earth and sit down and enjoy the brilliant skill of stargazing for a bit, but since my dark prince decided to come here instead, I shall sit down and chat with him and make some fruit for the both of us. Do you think that's okay, hmm?" A little of her droll sarcasm kicked in automatically and he chuckled.

"Don't you find that a bit, um, lame? And so, my pretty little cupcake, what fruit are you going to make this time?" Warren found them a bench near a tree and sat down, waiting for Layla's gift.

Layla smiled in spite of her condition and reached her hand out to one of the tree branches, and immediately she could feel the fruit, cool to the touch of her palm. She opened it up; it was an apple. "Here you go."

She reached for another branch this time, and rather unfortunately, it took a quarter of a second longer than it usually would to make a fruit. She furrowed her brows in puzzlement and finally she felt its presence. It felt different; the shape was more oval than her usual apple, and it felt rougher… She opened her palm, and stared, totally taken aback and intrigued.

"I expected more than an apple from you, you kn – What?" Warren glared at Layla, unsure of what her current expression meant.

"Oh my God," a hand went up to her lips as her tone was coated with utter astonishment. "Look at this, Warren…" In her palm lay a lemon, a shiny, juicy-looking lemon.

Warren Peace was going to say "so?" when he remembered. Layla never succeeded in making a lemon since she first discovered her powers… "Congratulations, Layla! But is that supposed to be good, or bad?" He asked instead.

"I dunno, Warren, but I think it's good!" Layla's voice was no longer nasal, and rather, she sounded happier than usual. "It might mean my powers have gone up a notch!" she squealed in blissful delight and Warren shushed her.

"This is a public place you know! Anyone could have heard you! Shut up, Layla, shut UP!"

Layla stared wide-eyed, then realized the impact of what she was doing and the consequences. "But I'm definitely going to keep this lemon, it's a sign of success!" she used a tone that was more like a whisper and hissing, but one could still tell by the way her eyes were gleaming in the dark.

Warren smiled joyfully; Layla was happy, and so would he be. Then, to his utmost surprise, Layla pounced right onto him; she squeezed him so tightly in a bear hug he was almost unable to breathe. Now his eyes were sparkling – LAYLA was hugging him!

And right at that moment, unaware to the both of them, there was a slight, almost completely invisible movement overhead; something, or someone, flew above them; and unbeknownst to them, he was shooting death glares down to the male.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! And please please REVIEW! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... Whether it's constructive criticism or kind reviews, anything will do! Except for flames. Thank you! I know this is short, sorry (: 


	2. Jumpy

**Konnichiwa minna-san! How are ya! I shall not rant here, for it will be really irritating. Meet me at the bottom! And thanks for the advices about Warren's major OOCness! I thought after they became friends his character would morph -- ah well. Ja ne!** **Thank you SOSOSOSO much for reviewing my first crappy and completely OOC chapter, **_GrayDove, SuicidalLipsroom777, aspirer, aspinminder, wayhottu _(even though your review was only um, thirty three LOVE IT's, I still really do love you!)_, jade-snake and stevenstraitrawks (did you know that I live in Singapore, and I play Maple Story too?)! _((BIG huggles)) I dunno, I'd better reply to all of your reviews --

All right, no more chanting, beginning of the story!

**JUMPY**

**Chapter Two of Distinguished**

Layla was having a dilemma… she was caught between her one true love and one who truly loved her. But when she got into deep trouble, who would be the one saving her?

* * *

With the remote control in one hand, the teenage girl idling in front of the television fiddled with it, unaware of how much the television was already flickering due to the rapidity of the switching of channels. She barely noticed what was shown on each channel before quickly changing it to another, without much enthusiasm. Absentmindedly she switched to the last channel, the channel with all the MTV's and live interview shows that were held at the Stadium near her house. Sometimes she swore she could hear the cheers from this distance.

Layla looked up upon hearing something that sounded somewhat… interesting to her. It was another one of those interviews, but the names were familiar… She lifted up her head and watched with mild intrigue.

"Once again, welcome to the highly popular live interview TV show, Live it Live (A/N: this is not a typo. It is pronounced as 'live liv it live laif, or something like that. You know what I mean ), and your host for tonight is me, Kellie! And tonight, we have – drums roll please – the Stronghold Three, featuring The Newcomer, Will Stronghold! Everyone give him a hand, please!" the stadium was filled with roaring applauses. Everyone hooted and screamed and whistled as Will Stronghold rose from his seat. He did a somewhat charismatic wave, and all the fangirls melted; when he blushed slightly the camera managed to catch that tiny action in full, making all them fangirls squeal with absolute delight. Finally he got over the amusement and ambled to sit in the empty chair directly opposite the female host.

"Hi, Will!" the female host, Kellie, shouted with enthusiasm and winked flirtatiously at the overly famous guy now sitting opposite him, and could barely hear the background where all the fangirls were shrieking with jealousy. Will answered with a rather shy smile. Even though this wasn't his very first interview he was still rather introversive, not exactly one of those who would give up anything for another, more thrilling recount of their most recent adventures.

"Well, tell us more about your most recent adventure, the one with Royal Pain. Come on, we know we want to hear it, don't we?" Kellie beamed mischievously and the rest of the audience tagged along. Layla saw and could feel with her heart how much embarrassment Will was suffering from, and her heart cringed with nervousness. After all, this was a live show, not a recorded one. What if Will made a fool of himself in front of so many people?

But unbeknownst to her Will was actually brimming with confidence; after so many interviews his self-esteem increased significantly and he was no longer the funny, sarcastically droll and rather timid guy who happened to have flying powers and super strength; he was now the self-confident, brilliantly witty and extroversive Will. And he was good at pretending to be the direct opposite.

Right now the Will Stronghold on-screen was talking animatedly about his battle, how Warren Peace, Layla (at the mention of her name Layla beamed with pride even if no one could see) and fellow members did their part (though he changed he did not take all the glory for himself) and how they managed to transform all the babies back again, pausing at all the right places, waiting for the audience to clap, or gasp with awe, or get all nervous.

Layla was too intrigued by Will's story that she didn't even notice his sudden improvement in storytelling skills; she was utterly smitten with him. She seemed to be sucked into the world in the television; as he relived that fateful homecoming night she was blinded by his every movement… every swish of the hand, every nod of the head, every charming smile he wore… Layla found herself smiling stupidly to no one, except for her dream sweetheart appearing on television, and was awoken rather rudely and abruptly from her stupor when her infuriating ears made her catch something she was not meant to. At least, she thought not.

"Do you have anything to add then, Will?" Kellie's sweet tingly voice broke the awkward pause right after Will had finished his encounter.

Will pretended to think for a while, and then burst out, "If someone is watching this channel right now, please, I'm sorry I didn't respond to your calls and instant messages, I was too busy. Please don't do this to me."

Layla now watched him with intensity, listening carefully to his every word. Why was he saying that? It wasn't like she did anything bad behind his back…

The audience stared at him with amazed eyes, surprised that Will Stronghold would say something like that. The host tried to break the building ice, and her efforts were in vain as hushed whispers covered every corner of the stadium. The Stronghold Three briskly left the stage and the show ended with Kellie gushing about some excitement and thrill they had tonight and all that crap entertainers use when they have nothing left to say.

Layla searched for her remote control, brushing away cushions and stuff violently. In the end she found it resting in her left palm. She sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her long, red hair, and decided to ask her boyfriend's best friend for opinions, and to search for comfort.

"What is it that you want this time?" Warren's husky voice snapped, his impatience vibrating loudly through the phone line. "I'm busy enough as it is."

For the third time that night Layla was both surprised and remotely hurt. Only a few days ago Warren was taking her to the park in his convertible and calling her his Green Princess!

"I'm sorry, Warren, but I just need to meet you again, I need opinions, please help me!" she knew she sounded desperate but that was what she was.

"I can't. I've got no time to spare and listen to your rubbish." The voice sounded more and more angry and Layla was completely lost; she didn't even offend him in the first place!

"What… what's wrong with you, Warren Peace? I've had a bad enough day and you have to treat me like that! Why are men always doing this to hurt women? It's either behaving freaking well or attacking and hurting the girl at the same time! What's WRONG with all of you!" Layla spat into the receiver, frustration welling up within her like a bubbling pit.

"Shut up. Aren't women the same? Don't think I don't know what you've actually been up to. It was just like those high school days in Sky High (A/N: Ground Low is the exact opposite of Sky High, a lame code I made Layla use to cover up her school name. Lame, I know.) where you use me to achieve your purposes. Calling me a cutie and going to the dance with me, eh? Women are creatures with so many tactics. They do all sorts of silly things just to get what they want. Aren't you doing the same again? Just because Will Stronghold neglected you doesn't mean you can pretend to be intimate with me and hug me and get all over me in the park when Mrs. Stronghold flew over! She's told me all about it, and what she saw you doing. She's very worried about it and she's made Will apologise to you in public, so aren't you satisfied yet! If you don't truly want to be my good friend then get out of my way and stop doing this to me." The last sentence Warren seethed; he sounded more exasperated than annoyed, and that hurt Layla greatly.

"I didn't know anything… That hug was genuine and I've never done anything after high school to make Will notice me! Hey, listen!" the phone clicked and she knew Warren had put down his receiver.

"Listen to me explain…" She whispered into the phone, into nothingness except for a monotone that would never go away. Hot tears cascaded down her face, staining her skirt.

How could all this happen so fast? Life… was really too unpredictable for her…

And as the last word flashed across her thoughts her sadness was distracted by something else. Something like a marvelous light shining down into her temporarily pitch dark world… literally.

Her bedside table was glowing, its light pale, but noticeable. Layla carelessly wiped away her tears on her sleeve, sniffed and walked over, intrigued.

As she opened the drawer she noticed the object glowing was the lemon, the lemon she had miraculously created a few days before, and it seemed to be hissing…

She forced herself to calm down as she felt her pulse rate decrease slowly. She listened with her heart to the hissing… And it seemed to be saying something…

"If you are willing, I could grant you what you wish for…"

* * *

A/N: Wahahaha! Finally another crappy chapter. Warren is angry with Layla's actions, therefore he has a huuuuuge mood swing… Hahaha… I know, it wasn't Will flying overhead, it was his mum… All righties people, after reading, you should know what to do, and that is to REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW! Love you people loads ((huggles))

Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated greatly. Flames ignored, and particularly irritating flames shall be deleted, I don't care about the number of reviews… Harharhar… You know you want to find out more about the lemon… Or maybe you don't… Hahaha…


	3. Private Affairs

**Private Affairs**

**Chapter Three of Distinguished**

_Dedicated to HermionePeace!_

Will called that night. A brief voice message, but a call nonetheless. Layla hadn't been around to pick up the phone – she was far too agitated over Warren's sudden outburst to touch it again. Besides, the glowing object now safely in her handbag had proved to be too much of a distraction.

This was a fruit that she had never been able to produce with her own hands. Now, it seemed, she had grown to be stronger. Gleeful and excited, all Layla wanted was someone to share the joy with. But her parents were asleep, Will was still at his talk show, and Warren – well, if he could slam the phone on her, she wasn't going to beg to hear his voice either.

Layla knew exactly what she would do. Carefully pushing the ledge of her bedroom window upwards, she climbed out and onto the tree just outside with expertise, the beautiful lemon still in one hand. It didn't seem capable of speech anymore than lemon juice, however.

She didn't know how she'd done it. She hadn't even known that she's done it, even. Layla wanted to see for herself, so she closed her eyes and felt the magic cruising through her veins, finally converging at her outstretched palm. With her eyes still shut, she touched the outer surface of the fruit, and nearly sighed in disappointment. It was round and smooth – an apple.

But that didn't stop her from hugging the lemon to sleep that night atop the tree, blissfully ignorant of being watched.

Early next morning, Layla had awoken, and nearly fell off the branch. She had forgotten where she was. Cautiously, she made her way back into her bedroom. It was miraculous how the lemon survived the entire night, she mused, as she quickly brushed her teeth, managing a quick hop over to the phone.

There was nothing from Warren. Layla decided that it didn't really matter, when the answering machine emitted a beep.

_You have one new message._

Could it be…?

"Hey, Layla. I'm sorry. Make up?" The entire message lasted about five seconds, but fireworks were exploding in her heart, and she played and replayed the message until her mom called from below.

Who gave a damn about Warren when Will was willing to apologize?

She quickly replied his message, her brain fuzzy and warm from Will's apology. Finally, she could tell someone about the lemon. Last night's anger was evidently forgotten, and her sudden feelings about Warren were completely pushed aside. If she was lucky, she would be able to catch Will before he left his house.

Layla bounded down the stairs.

-

Warren Peace sat alone in his room above the Paper Lantern, sparks of fire that spouted from his palm igniting the dark. Damn the stupid girl. Who did she think she was, toying with him like that?

What was this? Another plan to get Stronghold back? Flames danced merrily on his outstretched hand, in perfect contradiction to his mood. Sometimes, he hated his best friend. So he got all the glory, all the fame. Even the girl. But did he truly deserve Layla?

No.

He was never there for her when she needed him – that had to be the only reason she turned to Warren. He took her for granted, he never cherished her. But Layla had used him again. For Will.

Before he knew it, Warren was running down to Paper Lantern; Will was going to get it so bad.

-

Will had returned home late the previous night from the talk show, still a little up in the clouds from all the attention and swoons. He had taken a shower and a quaint little late night supper, before a sudden thought came crashing down into his head, bringing him back to earth.

Layla.

She was _his_ girlfriend, and best friend or not, Warren had better not start poking his nose into their private affairs. So he had left her a message, knowing full well that she would reply to it no matter what.

And sure enough, there was a message waiting for him in the answering machine the next morning. Will yawned lazily. He didn't have a show to attend, and simply took his time to dress up while waiting for Layla to come by.

He strolled down the stairs when the doorbell rang. There she was, pretty like always with a smile on her face. "Layla! You're here! Come in!" He ushered her in, motioning for her to sit.

"I'm not angry, you dork," Layla said teasingly, collapsing onto the couch she had remembered so well since childhood. "Oh, and nice interview you had there."

Will pretended to scowl, then broke off into a huge grin. "I know, right? The host was really cool. And the crowd went crazy when I recounted the whole thing. It was really much better than I thought!" And he went on, pausing for Layla's reaction before continuing, a delighted smile plastered on his face.

Layla nodded, and inserted appropriate responses during his speech. But really, this wasn't the apology she had in mind. Still, Will had bothered. That was all that mattered to her.

"…never knew that fangirls could be so crazy." Will finished triumphantly, and stared at her quizzically when Layla failed to reply. "Earth to Layla?" He chuckled at his own little pun.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry," she shook her head apologetically. "Very incredible indeed. …Here, let me show you something." She reached excitedly into her handbag and held up her prized possession.

Will shot her another puzzled look. "Um… It's a lemon?" He asked lamely.

"Yeah, it's a _lemon_, Will!" Layla blurted. "I could never make one of those, remember? It was always apples, oranges, pears. Never a lemon. But look!"

Will's mind went spinning. He had truly forgotten about Layla not being able to make a lemon, but really, was he expected to remember? But he couldn't afford to lose her to anyone again.

"Of course I remember, silly." He flashed her one of his dazzling smiles. "Congrats! Your power must be growing!"

She nodded delightedly just as the doorbell rang again. Once, twice, three times, each ring getting more frantic than the last. Will rolled his eyes. It was Warren. "Give me a minute."

And sure enough, the pyrokinetic stood outside, looking more impatient than ever. "Oh, I thought you forgot how to open the door." He walked in like the house belonged to him, and was mildly surprised when he found Layla there as well. He chose to ignore her.

Layla appeared to want to speak up, but Warren's glare stopped her.

Will was used to Warren doing this, but not today. "This is my house, Peace. Please show some respect."

"What are you going to do? Bench-press me out the window?" Warren sneered.

"What are _you_ going to do? Snog my girlfriend in the park?" Will scoffed right back. He hadn't expected it to come out so directly, but there he was.

"I did _not_ snog your girlfriend in the park."

"I didn't say that you did."

"Your girlfriend here had a crying fit over you, and all you can do is appear in talk shows, and yell at the person who tried to repair your relationship? That's a new, Stronghold."

A pained expression worked its way onto Layla's pretty features, and her face flushed nearly as red as her hair. "Stop it, guys! …It's my fault, all right? It was my fault for being silly when Will didn't return my calls. I shouldn't have hugged him in the park. But it was merely a hug, okay?" And she didn't add that she had actually liked it.

"You stay out of this." Warren's voice was cold, and Layla nearly shuddered. "Best friend here isn't thinking straight."

"Best friends don't steal each other's girlfriends!" Will was controlling his anger now. What right did Warren have to mess with Layla like that? She was _his _childhood friend. She loved _him_. If Warren thought that he could take her away, he was very much mistaken.

"And best friends don't shout at each other!" It was never anything good when someone raised his fist, especially Warren. Layla stood in between the two hostile friends in a last desperate attempt to stop the fight.

Warren was fuming. He couldn't be sure of his own feelings for Layla since that day at the ball, but all he knew was that Will was treating her unfairly. Now, he was certain that Layla had been more than a friend to him. But like real he would let anyone know. "Go away or I'll burn you too."

"Layla! Don't bother!" Will had gotten into a stance. Almost shaking with anger and fear, she backed away, right into the sofa. There was nothing she could do.

_What can I do? My powers are nothing up against fire and super-strength. I can't break them apart without hurting them, either._

_If only they would stop fighting!_

The first flicker of blaze had lit up Warren's eyes, promising an inferno. His hotheadedness so often caused him to make wrong choices, including attacking his best friend. Just then, a bright ray of yellow shone through Layla's handbag, illuminating the entire room with blinding light. Instinctively, Layla placed her hands to shield her eyes from the glow.

When she finally lowered her hands, she saw with astonishment that Will was sitting on the couch beside her, and Warren on the one opposite, both looking as dazed and confused as she was.

In that instant however, Layla knew.

* * *

A/N: I can't believe I'm actually updating this! This chapter is dedicated to HermionePeace, for her constant bugging for updates. xD And yeah, the writing changed quite a bit, didn't it? Hope you still enjoyed it anyway. (My last A/N was so silly. Ugh. D: )

Watch out for more potential updates, and thanks for reading and all of the reviews!


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